Shirt collar shaping device



Aug. 26, 1947. M. 'M. NEWMAN 2,426,519

SHIRT COLLAR SHAPING DEVICE Filed May 10, 1946 4 FLE- 5 n 26 INVENTOR y I BY Kg? M ATTo NEY w Patented Aug. 26, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT-OFFICE SHIRT COLLAR SHAPING DEVICE MaxM. Newman, New York, N. Y.

Application May 10, 1946, Serial No. 668,887

(Cl. 2-l32) 13 Claims. '1

This invention relates to the shaping of shirt collars and more particularly to shaping or forming means for the collar edge so as to prevent wrinkling and provide a neat appearance thereof.

This application is a continuation in part of my application Serial No. 636,918, filed December 27, 1945. In that application. I disclosed a combined shaping and stiiiening element wherein the element was suitably rigid during a portion of its length for transmitting such rigidity to a portion of 'the collar edge while a flexible portion of the element was provided to permit of its being draped over a tie knot adjacent the collar edge.

It is an objectof the present invention to providean improvement of thecollar shaping means described in my previous application in that the article will be more-easily and simply constructed and will present various economies in the manufacture thereof.

Another object of this invention is to produce a collar shaping means which will inflict less wear on both shirt collars and shirt bosoms so as not to shorten the life of the shirt unduly.

Still anotherobject of my invention is to provide a collar forming means which may bend so as to adapt itself to the shaping-of an adjacent tie knot but in which bending in the opposite direction is prevented. It can be seen, therefore, that the flexibility of the collar sh'aper or former is limited to conditions where it is useful so that the.

collar cannot take an opposite bend where it might jut out from the shirt front at a largeangle.

Other objects of my invention will be apparent from the following description, it being understood that the above general statements of the 1 objects of my invention are intended to describe and not limit it in any manner.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of a collar and tie assembly, the collar being provided with the shaping means of the instant invention.

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the shaping element per se.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to- Fig. 2 and illustrating' the reverse side of theshaping element. Fig. 4 is a section along the line 44 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a modified embodiment.

The collar C is of the well known turned-down type provided with the conventional French seams at its edges. The elongated shaping elements It are incorporated between the plies of the collar adjacent the edges H and I2 thereof. It will be apparent that the seam l3 in conjunction with'the French seam at the edge 12 provides a channel into which the shaping, element .Il] may be inserted. A similar condition exists in the broken away portion of Fig. 1. Such insertion may be effected in the manufacture of the collar so that the element ii) .is permanently incorporated in said channel or an opening may be provided in the collar adjacent the neckline whereby the element it! can be inserted or removed as desired.

The shaping element lllcomprises sections having varying degrees of flexibility. Section l5 thereof is proportioned and disposed so as to cocupy the central and principal portion of the collar edge as illustrated in Fig. 1. Section I6 is of a relatively flexible nature and is proportioned and disposed so as to control the top or neckline portion of the collar edge. Extension sections 5'! and it are integral with a unitary strip H! which is preferably, but not necessarily, of a fabric material received within the section [5 as will hereinafter be described.

Section i5 is of a tubular rigid plastic or metal material such as copper, brass or, indeed, any metallic material. Section i5 is formed of a series of discrete, rigid, ring-like members 20 which give the section it the characteristics of a chain. Members or links 28, howevenare inter-connected only by virtue of the flexible strip I9 around which the members '26 are clamped. Since they are discrete, however, the section l6 may bend relative to the section l5 by virtue of the flexibility of strip l8. Members 253 are so formed that the bending of section It relative to section I5 is permitted in one direction and resisted in another direction. Thus, one side of section I6 has its members as formed with co-extensive and adjacent edges which mutually resist bending in that direction. On the other hand, the opposite side of section it has the adjacent edges of members 23 cut out so as not to impose a. physical barrier against bending. Accordingly, section Hi can bend inwardly as illustrated in Fig. 1, but cannot bend in a reverse direction whereby the collar edge is restrained against an objectionable jutted out position.

The strip as extends from both ends of the shaping element comprising sections 15 and I6. The extension ll lends a soft tip to the structure so as to avoid damage to a shirt front and to screenor absorb the edge of the metal shaping section l5. Extension section It serves in a similar capacity for the top endof the shaping element.

Strip l 9 may comprise a stranded fabric material such as an ordinary wick.. It will be found 3 that the extension members I! and I3 will form a soft protective tip against the edges of the metallic sections as hereinbefore described.

The assembly and construction of the device are particularly simple. It is desirable to first select a metal tube which is of round cross section and then thread a suitable length of strip 553 therethrough so that it extend past both ends of the tube. The tube may then be filed as by a triangular metal file, to form the concave undersides of members 20 whereby they will be permitted to bend in that direction when the device is completed. Of course, these concave undersides may be formed in the tube in advance of the strip insertion. The tube may then be flattened out, as by a hammer, until it assumes the shape indicated in Fig. 4 whereby the strip i9 is clamped and secured within the tube so as to be substantially unremovable therefrom. The mem bers 20 may then be bent so as to produce the brakes or sides 2i and form discrete members thereof, which lend such a degree of limited rigidity to the section I6 as to permit of its being draped over a tie knot as illustrated in Fig. 1 while retaining suflicent rigidity to serve as shaping means for the collar edge. It is obvious, of course, that instead of bending operations to form the members 29, they may be sawed or filed. as desired. In fact, the members 26 may be individually threaded on the strip l9 and thereafter clamped or otherwise maintained in position.

The unitary strip i9 not onl serves to maintain the members 20 in proper position so as to prevent either their movement or escape but it also provides the extensions ii and id for the purposes set forth. The assembly of the instant device is, therefore, extremely simple and economical while its construction is such as to fulfill substantiall all the shaping requirements of a collar edge. The uni-directional bending characteristics of section I6 are, of course, not essential to the practice of the invention, but they serve as an additional safeguard against distortion. Similarly, the tubular construction of section l throughout its length is unnecessary and the flexible extensions l1 and 18 may be individual or independent strips, both or either of which may be used as desired. They may be connected as by the clamping method shown or by a suitable adhesive such as an adhesive connection of canvas strip to spring steel. The extension 58 functions as a, hinge in swingably connecting the section It to the section 15, thus enabling the section It to perform its shaping functions.

In the embodiment of Fig. 5, the flexible strip 25 is secured at one end of the body portion 26. Body 26 is a thin fiat length of metallic material, preferably a resilient spring steel having a nor mally straight configuration, although a heat resistant plastic material may be used. Body 25 has an integral clamping band 2'5 which secures the strip 25 thereto. The ring-like members 2% are similar to the members 26. The device shown in Fig. 5 may be constructed by providing a, flat length of metal with a tubular end, forming the concave undersides 29 therein, inserting the strip 25 through the tubular end, flattening the tube to secure the strip, and finally breaking or otherwise separating the flattened tubular end into separate ring-like members. It will be found that the concave undersides have a curving effect on the ringed section which conforms more or less to the s ape it will assume when installed in a collar.

The flattened tubular end being thicker than the single thickness of body 26 serves as a stabilizing or supporting influenceagainst downward movement of the device in the collar seam. In this embodiment, a user may cut off whatever portion of body 25 that is excessive so that the overall length of the device may be adjusted to suit a particular length of collar edge.

- I have shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, but it is obvious that numerous changes and omissions may be made therefrom without departing from its spirit.

I claim:

1. Collar shaping means comprising a hollow, elongated section of rigid material adapted to be received adjacent to and shape a shirt collar edge, flexible, soft means extending from at least one end of said section, and discrete, rigid members supported by the extending portion of said flexible means so as to lend a degree of rigidity thereto.

2. Collar shaping means comprising a hollow, elongated section of rigid material adapted to be received adjacent to and shape a shirt collar edge, flexible, soft means extending from at least one end of said section, and discrete, rigid members supported by said flexible means so as to lend a degree of rigidity thereto, said rigid members being so formed as to be bendable as a unit in one direction only, said flexible means being operative to connect said rigid members and permit such bending.

3. Collar shaping means comprising a hollow, elongated section of rigid material adapted to be received adjacent to and stiffen a shirt collar edge, a flexible strip received within said hollow and extending from both ends of said section, and a series of discrete rigid members supported by the flexible extension at one end of said section.

4. Collar shaping means comprising a hollow, elongated section of metallic material, a fabric strip received within said hollow and clamped therein by said section, said fabric strip extending from both ends of said section, and a series of discrete, rigid members supported by one end of said fabric strip, said fabric strip extending past said rigid members whereby said collar shaping means is provided with soft tips at both ends thereof.

5. Collar shaping means according to claim 4 wherein said discrete members comprise metallic rings clamped on said fabric strip.

6. Collar shaping means according to claim 4 wherein said discrete rigid members comprise metallic rings clamped around said fabric strip and having cut away adjacent sides permitting flexibility in one direction whereby said collar shaping means may bend in the region of said rigid members in said one direction.

7. Collar shaping means comprising a hollow, elongated section of metallic material, a fabric strip received and clamped in the hollow of said section and extending from both ends thereof, and a series of discrete metallic rings separated from said section and clamped over one end of said fabric strip so as to lend a degree of rigidity thereto, said discrete rings being bendable as a unit in one direction and being so formed as to resist bending in an opposite direction, said fabric strip extending past said discrete metallic rings so as to furnish a soft tip for such end of the shaping means while the other end or extension of said fabric strip furnishes a soft tip for the other end of the shaping means.

8. Collar shaping means comprising an elongated member of rigid material adapted to be retained adjacent to, and shape a shirt collar edge,

"a relatively soft, flexible member connected to said elongated member so as to extend from at least one end thereof, and rigid means connected to the extending portion of said flexible member, said extending portion serving as a hinge between said elongated member and said rigid means whereby said rigid means may be bent relative to said elongated member so as to permit of its being draped over a tie knot adjacent to said shirt collar.

9. Collar shaping means comprising a flat elongated body member of normally straight configuration, a length of flexible fabric material secured at one end of said body member, and discrete, rigid members connected to said fabric material.

10. Collar shaping means comprising an elongated section of rigid material adapted to be received adjacent to and shape a shirt collar edge, a series of discrete and rigid rings having flexible connections between them and having an overall flexibility so as to permit said series of rigid rings to drape over curved surfaces by the flexibility of said connections, and hinge means connecting said elongated section and said series of discrete rigid rings.

11. Collar shaping means comprising a flat, elongated body member of normally straight configuration, a length of flexible material secured at one end of said body member and a chain-like series of discrete rigid members secured to said flexible material, each of said discrete members being flexibly connected to each other.

12. Collar shaping means according to claim 11 wherein said discrete members are so flexibly interconnected as to be bendable in one direction and resist bending in the opposite direction.

13. Collar shaping means according to claim 12 wherein said discrete rigid members comprise rings formed around and maintained by said flexible material, said rings having their undersides cut away where they approach adjacent rings so as to permit the series of discrete members to bend in the direction of said cut away undersides, the edges of adjacent discrete members on their top sides being co-planar and substantially contacting so as to resist bending in the direction of their top sides.

MAX M. NEWMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,021,916 Caspary Apr. 2, 1912 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 2,025 Great Britain Jan. 26, 1910 21,030 Great Britain Sept. 16, 1912 

